Ahmadinejad’s speech pitted the poverty and unhappiness of most countries against the riches and power of the U.S. and unnamed European nations that he accused of perpetuating wars, causing the current global economic crisis and infringing on “the rights and sovereignty of nations.”

He attacked the United States and European colonial powers for abducting tens of millions of Africans and making them slaves, for their readiness “to drop thousands of bombs on other countries,” and for dominating the U.N. Security Council He singled out the U.S. for using a nuclear bomb against Japan in World War II and imposing and supporting military dictatorships and totalitarian regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“It is as lucid as daylight that the same slave masters and colonial powers that once instigated the two world wars have caused widespread misery and disorder with far-reaching effects across the globe since then,” Ahmadinejad said. “Do these arrogant powers really have the competence and ability to run or govern the world?”

i also find the fact that people left very interesting. I think some people, particularly the US, can’t face the heat. You want to do fucked up things? Better be prepared to be called out on it. The fact that they walked out is childish and shows that they are unwilling to participate in conversations that don’t favor the perspective they wish to impose, in my opinion. Of course there will be discrepancies:

“While President Ahmadinejad is lecturing the world from the U.N. podium,” Human Rights Watch’s U.N. Director Philippe Bolopion said, “dissent is still being crushed ruthlessly in Iran and basic rights demanded by millions in the Arab world are brutally denied to Iranians who are demanding the same.”

“The world assembly should take with a grain of salt the remarks of a leader who said nothing about the public hanging yesterday of a 17-year-old in his own country,” he said.

So… does that mean his voice doesn’t count? Or his perspectives on what’s going on is inherently invalid? Yesterday the US executed a man who could have been innocent. What does that say? If leaders whose governments are obviously flawed don’t hold equal weight, then when the US goes around talking about implementing democracy, while they don’t practice it at home, their voice shouldn’t count.. they should have zero influence in global politics and people should “take it with a grain of salt” (ie: not take it seriously). Is the pot calling the kettle black? Yes. Does that mean the kettle isn’t really black? Absolutely not.

maybe if the US government (and other superpowers) were ready to check themselves and be checked by others there wouldn’t be so much disdain and hate from other countries around the world. Maybe if the US military didn’t invade other countries at the drop of a hat, set up secret bases around the world, influence different counties’ politics, use other nations as testing sites for our nuclear bombs completely obliterating them (Micronesia), it would be easier for someone like me to take their “side”. But the truth is, they DO. Plenty of people in america DO question what happened around 9/11 (and plenty other events) – call it a conspiracy theory, but how do we know? Because they told us the truth? Right.